Archive for the ‘Perseverance’ Category

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:23-24

1. BE PERSISTENT. In your pursuit of Jesus be persistent. If you are going to be stubborn about anything, then get adamant about your love for God. A lot of lesser things will vie for your attention. But lift up your eyes—the only place where you will get refreshing is in the presence of the Lord. Resolve to overcome drifting, and become really passionate about returning to your first love of Jesus (Revelation 2:1-5).

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:25, 28

2. BE PERSEVERING. We can continue despite opposition because we have hope that God is working on the behalf of those who trust in Him. Resist self-pity, which the devil uses to shut your mouth to keep you from speaking God’s Word and then to get you complaining—instead, hold fast to hope!

3. BE PATIENT. You can build your life on the Word of God. The devil will try to pry these truths out of your hands, but you have to tighten your grip! Hold fast to God’s promises and let them thunder forth in your life—He is faithful and He is abidingly trustworthy. As you rely on God, you will be one of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12).

Press On!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

DAILY CONFESSION:
I hold fast to the confession of my hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). I consider it all joy when I encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of my faith produces endurance. I let endurance have its perfect result, so that I may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing (James 1:4).

1. MAKE UP YOUR MIND. When King Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel and his friends away from Jerusalem, he ordered them to learn the literature and language of the Chaldeans for three years—essentially trying to brainwash them with the Babylonian system. He even gave them new names (Daniel 1:1-7). This was pure identity disruption. But “Daniel made up his mind.” He drew a line and asked permission from the king’s commander to eat a different way (Daniel 1:8).

God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. Daniel 1:17, 20

2. THRIVE WHERE YOU ARE. Joseph was sold as a slave and ended up in a pit and then in a prison before saving an entire nation. David was forced to hide out in a cave before becoming king. Though they tried to change everything about Daniel, they couldn’t get to the heart of the matter – he was God’s. Because Daniel took a stand, stayed focused, and stayed in love with God, he went beyond just survival and began to thrive behind enemy lines.

And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king. Daniel 1:21

3. CONTINUE. Daniel continued and served God in Babylon through several different reigns of kings. A culture shift can happen through one person’s obedience. You can be in the world but not conformed to it (Romans 12:2). If you’ve encountered vicious oppression, keep going. Keep trusting Jesus. Having done all to stand, stand and believe God for breakthrough!

Press on,
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

DAILY CONFESSION
I have received a kingdom which cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28). In all these things I overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves me. I forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14).

i·den·ti·ty, noun
The state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions. The sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time.

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

MAKE JESUS FIRST. There are a lot of voices and responsibilities vying for our attention, but true life is knowing Jesus. We have an invitation to develop a relationship with Jesus, to make Him our priority. As we set our affections on things above we are preparing for what’s ahead (Colossians 3:2).

I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:8a

PERSEVERE. It’s the grace of God that causes us to continue. Breakthrough doesn’t happen overnight – it takes a persevering spirit to see something all the way through. Look to Jesus. It’s not by our might or power but by the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).

MORE TO DO. God is not done with you. Your whole life doesn’t have to be dictated by the hurts and the harshness of what’s happened up to this point. God is calling you to press past uncertainty, insecurity, and inferiority and obtain the fullness of what He has for you. Pray big bold prayers, take steps of faith—Jesus is coming back!

Press on,
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

PRAY THIS PRAYER.
God, help me to lay aside weights and encumbrances and the sin which so easily entangles, and run with endurance the race set before me. I fix my eyes on You, Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). I won’t just survive and maintain, but by the grace of God, I will see Your purposes come to pass in my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Life is filled with challenges but it’s how you deal with them that determines your future. God has called you to something bigger than mere survival. You are made in God’s image, designed for creativity and advancement.

Authors Dr. Paul G. Stoltz and Erik Weihenmayer make an interesting point in their book “The Adversity Advantage.” In life there are three different types of people: quitters, campers, and climbers. When things get tough, quitters give up and stop advancing. Campers work hard, reach a certain level, and then settle down in mediocrity. Climbers are that rare breed of people who continue to grow, learn, and move forward all their lives.

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. 2 Chronicles 16:9a

Pressing on isn’t something that can be done in your own strength. God wants to strongly support you. “For it is God Himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire” (Philippians 2:13 WEY). He has called you to keep climbing, to keep fighting the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). He will equip you for the journey (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

God can do a lot in the life of a person who will just cooperate with Him. Shake off the temptation to quit or to camp halfway up the rugged mountain. Make mediocrity your enemy. Be a lifelong climber. Give God an inch and He’ll take a mile! Give Him a thimble full of devotion and He’ll respond to you with an ocean of love.

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus . . . LET US draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Hebrews 10:19, 22a

LET US hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, LET US also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and LET US run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

LET US consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

LET US press on to maturity. Hebrews 6:1b

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, LET US hold fast our confession. Hebrews 4:14

Therefore LET US draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; its branches run over a wall. Genesis 49:22

Joseph’s story shows someone who seemed destined to wither, but against all odds he flourished! As Jacob prayed a blessing over his kids at the end of his life, he described his son Joseph as a fruitful bough who thrived so much that his branches ran over a wall. Wherever Joseph was—slavery, prison—he always rose to the top.

In Joseph’s life we see an amazing miracle of mercy. Joseph got called upon by Pharaoh, and he went from the obscurity of prison to alleviating the suffering of Egypt’s people. But his reach went beyond the walls of his world and touched the very ones who had victimized him and hurt him!

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you Ephesians 4:31-32

Joseph mercifully forgave his brothers for their cruel treatment. There is power in forgiveness—all of us have been hurt, and all of us have hurt others. But when we lay aside bitterness, we’re going to get breakthrough.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3

Joseph flourished not because of his amazing humanness but because he was a fruitful bough by a spring—his roots grew deep into the rivers of God! The life of Joseph shows us how God can turn around any situation—even a horrible one like Joseph’s where he was victimized and hurt by his own brothers.

So don’t throw away your dreams or your confidence in God. Stay in the flow; don’t give up; don’t compromise; hold to the conviction that God will make a roadway in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:19). He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

What is confidence? It’s a firm belief and trust. It’s reliance on the fact that God is going to see you through!

Perseverance. We are those who “through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12). The battles and challenges Winston Churchill faced early in his life readied him to defy the greatest evil of his time and inspire others to persevere. “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, . . . never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy . . . I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.” Winston Churchill*

Preparation. Those battles you’ve fought are qualifying you for the next steps. The challenges you’ve dealt with up to this point have prepared you to defy and conquer the enemy. And, just as Winston Churchill motivated an entire nation to face off with evil, you are called to help those in your sphere of influence to continue.

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12,14

God will see you through to the end. Read Hebrews 11. Read through the Book of Acts. When you hear the testimony of someone from church, grab hold of it and say, “That God is my God!” The same God who did all those miracles in the Bible, the same God who came through for someone else, will come through for you! He never changes. You serve the God who heals (Malachi 4:2), who redeems your life from the pit (Psalm 103:4), and who makes the crooked path straight (Isaiah 42:16). Never, never, never give in!

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

We are to walk and grow in a manner worthy of the calling on our lives (Ephesians 4:1). God promises that the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that shines brighter and brighter until the full day (Proverbs 4:18). For the sake of the call, choose to grow and increase for your entire life.

But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ. Ephesians 4:15

People around you are looking for answers. They don’t need thoughtful impressions or good ideas—they need the substance of the wisdom of God. As we grow up in God and stay in the Word, His Wisdom floods our lives and enables us to have answers for others.

Don’t get too busy or focused to notice the amazing opportunities to speak into people’s lives every day. In your family and at your work (the people who bug you the most need you the most) there are people watching your life who need you to continue growing in the things of God.

In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12b-13)

CONTENTMENT. The Apostle Paul chose to rejoice instead of taking a viewpoint of want. If Paul learned the secret of being content while he was in prison, then so can we in our daily lives. We have to cast down imaginations, take every thought captive, and overwhelm doubt with the language of God’s faithfulness (2 Cor. 10:5).

DELIVERANCE. Paul endured despite heavy oppression: “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). Things were so tough for Paul, he knew he could not make it on his own strength. Instead, he chose to rely on God’s faithfulness, declaring that “God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us.” (1 Corinthians 1:9b-10). Remember the times God delivered you in the past; He will do the same with your present and future.

VISION. Become like Paul and learn the language of the overcomer. My heroes are people who walk with a limp, who have seen disappointments mount up around them but who forge ahead. If our church had quit after the flood of ’93, we wouldn’t have seen 3243 kids pour in for JUMP! We would never have put out 250 million video impressions of the Gospel per year in our city. We would never have reached out in Kosovo, or impacted Sri Lanka, or rebuilt homes after Hurricane Katrina. Lives are attached to your obedience, and there is victory on the other side of your battle.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

We’ve all heard of posttraumatic stress, but a recent study by psychologist Dr. Lawrence Calhoun states that more people react to trauma with posttraumatic growth. He believes that people can get stronger from their battles with life’s toughest stuff: “We’re talking about a positive change that comes about as a result of the struggle with something very difficult. It’s not just some automatic outcome of a bad thing.”* I don’t believe that hardship, sickness, or evil comes from God, but God can and will use every bad situation and turn it around for good (Romans 8:28).

I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12-13

My heroes in the Bible and in history are those who have endured. My mentors in Christianity are those who taught me that life is not fair, but God is good and God’s promises are true. You will be contested by the devil, but ultimately God will lead you in triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Read all of Psalm 34 to encourage yourself concerning God’s faithfulness. This chapter really drives home the truth that “the righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17). If you’ve become discouraged, remember that God’s ear is open to your cry and the God who was faithful in the Bible is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

God always leads us in triumph!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®